Addendum Results and Comments from Survey on Personal Products

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

I received another twelve surveys and I think that we are just about half

and half. About half of us use only GF products and the other half use

whatever they like with no concern to whether it is GF or not.

From the results, it appears that a number of those who use only GF products

have other skin issues that may or may not be related to CD.

From some of the comments that I received in my survey, I guess I shouldn't

have excluded people with DH, but my thought was that if they are already

having skin issues, maybe topical gluten and oats would further irritate

the rash, etc. I was trying to find out if people without DH use strictly

GF, oat free products on their skin. I assumed that people with DH would

use only GF, oat free products on their skin. I guess I shouldn't have

assumed.

Below are some additional comments that I received from the survey I took on

personal products.

I hope that you find the results interesting and helpful.

Barbara

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It was an issue I wondered about when I was first diagnosed in 2004. I

have DH as well as CD. My dermatologist told me I could use any skin

products I wanted. I've been careful about shampoo since I was diagnosed

and I use non-gluten facial moisturizer as well as lipstick. Shower gels

are also on my list of gluten-free products. Body lotion I don't worry

about.

Someone on one of the lists sent the following to me:

" According to Dr. Fasano and his dietician, the thing to worry about is what

celiacs put on their lips because that gets ingested. They did not appear to

worry about skin products, unless you put your hands in your mouth, which I

had not thought about and I do find myself putting my hands in my mouth,

unfortunately. I know others on the list serv are concerned about hair

products and skin care products being gluten free but this is what I found

out. "

But I keep seeing people on the list referring to DH as though special

precautions were needed and I wondered what I didn't know I should so that

was why I asked you.

The diet isn't really so bad - it's more of a nuisance than a catastrophe;

the worst part is eating outside our home. It's hard to find a restaurant I

trust.

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Basically, I feel accidental ingestion of products used around the face and

hair is too likely to take a chance on gluten. Breathing the dust of

face/bath powder is ingestion, as far as I'm concerned, as whatever goes

into the nose goes down your throat before it can reach the windpipe and can

be swallowed. So is getting stuff in your eyes (next time you get shampoo in

your eyes, see if you suddenly taste it!): as the eyes drain into your

throat too.

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I am the family member with celiac and I don't pay a bit of attention to the

gluten content of any of the items listed below. I seldom wear lipstick ( a

couple of times a year).

if I'm not eating something with gluten, I don't think it makes a

difference if it contains gluten

as in dishwashing liquid, makeup (perhaps with the exception of lipstick),

shampoo, conditioner, hand lotion etc. But that is my personal opinion only.

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I have just noticed that although I don't typically have any skin issues, I

have noticed that when my hands and legs are dry in the winter, when I use

lotions that contain gluten, the dryness continues and turns into itching

and then I scratch and cause more irritation. I couldn't figure out why the

dryness and irritation seemed to go away sometimes (when I just upped the

moisture in our house and took extra fish oil) and other times just went on

and on. Finally, I put two and two together when right after I used

gluten-containing lotions/creams, the tingling and itching came on almost

right away. So I am going to be careful in the future. I think it's more

important to figure out what affects one personally than have a doctor tell

you that gluten can't be ingested through the skin, especially when I have

had countless folks tell me they have rashes, etc. when they use shampoo

that contains wheat, for example.

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I am celiac AND gluten allergic, so I did not respond to your question when

you first asked it because I didn't know for sure whether all celiacs are

unreactive. I do react to topical glutens, but I've assumed that true

celiacs do not. Some who claim to react might have a reason to do

so--gluten allergy in addition to celiac disease. However, I assume that

there are not that many of us around.

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I use products with gluten in them. I'm not sure about the oats, but my

shampoo and conditioner both have wheat protein. Since I was only recently

diagnosed, I don't know what I will do next time I buy these products. I

only use either Aveda or Origins, so they definitely list the source of all

their products. My favorite Aveda shampoo is GF, so I might switch back to

it. I haven't really decided whether I think I need GF beauty products.

I don't pay any attention to whether there is gluten in my makeup. Although

that may change as I buy new things.

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My answers are the same for all the questions. I have never paid any

attention to personal products, except lipsticks/chapsticks. I have always

just used name brands. And I switch it up quite

frequently. Currently, Fructis shampoo, Dove lotion, & sephora make-up. i

dont even know if these have gluten in them. I have used aveeno lotion

(oats) in the past with no reactions. Growing up, my parents never paid

attention to the ingredients in the shampoo they bought for me either. no

reactions!

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I wash my hair with baking soda and rinse using apple cider vinegar. I've

done this for years as we tend to have limited water supply at home, and

it's very cheap and I don't have to worry about weird chemicals like sodium

laurel sulfate. Gluten in skin products has never been an issue for me

because I don't use them. However, I am a massage therapist, and the propyl

paraben in the massage lotions worry me, I have huge fibroids and the stuff

has been shown to have estrogenic effects. If any of the massage lotions or

oils have any gluten in them, I have never noticed anything from them. Not

like my friend from long ago who would get blisters from handling bread in

her job as a cook.

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